2009 Bimota DB7 - First Look

2009 Bimota DB7 - First Look

When Cycle World magazine was asked by Bimota to attend the press launch for the new DB7 we couldn't have been more amped. Here was a brand-new bike from a company with a storied past, but this time Bimota stuffed the powerplant from one of our favorite bikes, the Ducati 1098, into one of the most stunning chassis we've ever seen. To put the icing on the cake, the press launch would take place at the Misano Circuit on the Adriatic coast of northeastern Italy, host to both World Superbike and MotoGP events.

Our press launch kicked off with a dinner in a small piazza near Rimini's ancient city center. The open-air restaurant had one of the DB7s displayed on a pedestal for all the city to see. Bimota is like royalty in Rimini, site of its factory, and casual strollers treated it accordingly with oohs and aahs as they passed by.

The DB7 is dripping with exotic materials molded into a beautiful form by head designer Enrico Borghesan. Machined billet aluminum, titanium and carbon-fiber help the bike weigh in at a svelte 375 pounds dry. Cool details are what separate these handmade machines from mass-produced production bikes. A bike like the DB7 is more akin to a racebike than anything else on the showroom floor.

After a full day circulating the Misano circuit, we came away impressed. This excellent handling, lightweight, beautiful and expensive ($40,000) motorcycle lived up to our expectations. Power output is slightly improved from the standard Ducati, but the DB7's lighter weight made it feel much more responsive than its donor. Read more about the DB7 in the October issue of Cycle World.